Matt Alvarez, 1935-2021

I have known Matt Alvarez during my ski business days, and especially when him and his wife Helen were still running the Timberhaus ski shop in Vail, Colorado, after closing their Park City location. 

Later on, we use to see each others on occasions, like the Arts Festival, the Fourth of July, and the Farmer’s Market. For a few seasons, we used to ski with him; Matt was a consummate story teller and we had lots of fun in his company. 

Born in September of 1935, Matt passed away on July 1st, at the age of 85. Originally from Oak Creek, Colorado, close to Steamboat, on the way to Vail, he graduated from the University of Utah with a mechanical engineering degree and worked for companies like Hercules and Morton Thiokol during the Space Race. 

In 1965, Matt and his family moved to Park City and opened the Timberhaus ski shop in Old Town Park City. They also opened stores in Snowbird and Vail. He was also the founder, in the late 1960s, of the Park City Ski Team. 

Altogether, Matt and Helen lived 40 years in Old Town Park City, before retiring in Oakley, a short drive away. We’ll miss our friend Matt an awful lot!